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High Marks for Teachers

August 11, 2017

UMD ranks in the Top Tier for Teacher Preparation

According to the spring 2017 research findings of the National Council of Teacher Quality (NCTQ), UMD ranked in the top tier of the nation’s best undergraduate secondary teacher prep programs. NCTQ programs looked at programs across all 50 states and the District of Columbia and ranked UMD among the top 16 schools.

UMD stood out as one of the few schools, among all 717 examined, that prepared teacher candidates on how to teach and what to teach. They especially noted that UMD graduates in the areas of science, and/or social studies were prepared with content knowledge.

Jane Carlson, interim head of the Department of Education says she is proud of UMD faculty and students. "The mission of the Education Department is to prepare learner-sensitive educators with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to contribute to a better society. We are honored to receive this ranking that recognizes our ability to prepare teachers to meet the needs of today's students."

Selection and AdmissionsUMD Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP) received a NCTQ rating of A+ in the area of Selectivity of Admission and Diversity. This rating indicates that UMD STEP program ensures that they draw most of their teacher candidates from the top-half of the college-going population, and maintains or exceeds the level of racial diversity of the entire institution or the state’s teacher workforce.

Content: Science and Social StudiesThe NCTQ findings determined that all institutions effectively met the content needs of English and mathematics in high school teacher candidates, however the schools’ preparation of science and social studies teachers was much more of a challenge. Fewer than three in five (57 percent) teacher prep programs adequately covered the subject content that both science and social studies teachers will need to teach. UMD excelled in this area.

How to TeachMost programs (76 percent) provide courses on teaching methods tailored to specific subjects. Yet, when delivering content knowledge is combined with how to teach that knowledge, only a minority of programs (42 percent), including UMD, systematically deliver on both functions.